T.G.I. Friday’s Coda: We Have Only Ourselves to Blame

A reader who isn’t happy about T.G.I. Friday’s coming to Union Square nevertheless reminds us that the chain originated right here in NYC (specifically, on the Upper East Side). A timeline on the company’s website reveals it to be true.

1965 - The first T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant opens in New York City at the corner of First Avenue and 63rd Street. T.G.I. Friday’s on Manhattan’s upper East Side quickly becomes THE meeting place for single adults, totaling $1 million in revenues its first year. The first T.G.I. Friday’s menu was a chalkboard.

1970 - Memphis, Tennessee becomes the location for the second T.G.I. Friday’s.

The call is coming from inside the house! So does the fact that Friday’s is the runt of the New York City restaurant litter make it more lovable? Just a little? No?